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Microsoft could work on a new portable speaker. Although Microsoft manufactures its own Surface brand headphones, it has not yet launched an integrated loudspeaker powered by Cortana. It could change soon, though.
According to a new patent filed by Microsoft in 2017 and released today (via WindowsLatest), Microsoft seems to be working on a new portable speaker. The patent for the device has a design identical to that of Amazon Echo Dot. It includes a structure on the top of the device, with touch buttons that you can use to control the volume or turn on / off the microphone.
Here's the interesting part, though: this new speaker may not be intended for consumers or an Echo Dot competitor. The speaker could be more for the Microsoft Teams service. Brad first wrote about Microsoft working on an ambient computer on his Under a surface book, and that could be it. In fact, if you look closely at the top of the device on the patent, you can see buttons for the call feature, which clearly indicates that it is more of a Meeting device that a smart speaker intended for the consumer.
In addition, one of the inventors of the portable speaker is actually one of the main makers of the Microsoft Teams device design, as noted by The Verge. So, yes, it's probably a speaker device / meeting room for Microsoft teams.
Last year Microsoft introduced a similar demonstration for "modern meetings," where it used AI, Microsoft 365, and Cortana to deliver a truly cool meeting experience. And this new portable speaker could bring some of that to the real world:
Tagged Microsoft, Microsoft Teams
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